A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c13.78

v1.c13.78

Chapter nine, on unmāda (mental disorders),²⁴⁷ deals with: the causative factors of this disease (9.4);²⁴⁸ its pathogenesis (samprāpti) (9.5);²⁴⁹ the symptoms (9.6–7);²⁵⁰ the essential characteristics of the two types of unmāda: nija (endogenous) and āgantu (exogenous) (9.8ab); ²⁵¹ the aetiology and symptomatology of unmāda caused by vāta (9.9–10),²⁵² pitta (9.11–12),²⁵³ kapha (9.13–14),²⁵⁴ samnipāta (9.15);²⁵⁵ the āgantu type of unmāda is caused by possession (abhidharṣaṇa)²⁵⁶ by gods, sages, gandharvas, etc., improper observance of niyama (mental discipline), vratas (vows),²⁵⁷ etc., and improper conduct in previous existences (9.16);²⁵⁸ the general characteristics of possession (bhūtottha unmāda) (9.17);²⁵⁹ the way in which possession comes about: gods, etc., who are invisible, enter into a human being, without affecting his body, by the special power (prabhāva) of the properties characteristic of them, in a way similar to the production of a reflection (chāyā) in a mirror or the penetration of the rays of the sun into a sūryakānta (sunstone) (9.18);²⁶⁰ the characteristics of possession by divine beings (deva),²⁶¹ sages (ṛṣi),²⁶² manes (pitar),²⁶³ gandharvas,²⁶⁴ yakṣas,²⁶⁵ rākṣasas,²⁶⁶ brahmarākṣasas,²⁶⁷ piśācas (9.20); ²⁶⁸ the characteristics of persons liable to possession by a divine being, etc., and the days of the month on which divine beings, etc., preferably attack human beings (9.21);²⁶⁹ signs of incurability (9.22); the treatment of unmāda caused by beings whose objective is rati or arcanā (9.23);²⁷⁰ the treatment of nija and āgantu types of unmāda²⁷¹ (9.24–89ab);²⁷² the cure of unmāda through paying homage to Śiva²⁷³ and his attendants, the Pramathas,²⁷⁴ through sacrifices (bali, homa),²⁷⁵ the wearing of herbs and amulets (oṣadhidhāraṇa and agadadhāraṇa), mantras, good conduct, penance (tapas),²⁷⁶ gifts (pradāna), niyama, vratas, etc.